


Triptych: A Romance in Three Parts

by tarradiddle



Category: DCU (Comics), Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Amazons aren't bound by your petty relationship conventions, Batman overanalyzes everything, F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Minor Dick Grayson/Koriand'r, Multi, Romance, Threesome - F/M/M, past clark/lois
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-20 15:27:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14897147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarradiddle/pseuds/tarradiddle
Summary: Sometimes a triangle is the strongest shape, and sometimes when you see a heartsick Kryptonian, the only thing to do is give him your heart.See note on continuity.





	1. Diana

**Author's Note:**

> About continuity/canon: this takes place in a blended DC continuity which has a large amount from JLU (character relationships progressing as from the end of that series) with some aspects of pre-New52 comics mixed in (Diana heads a Themysciran embassy, the classic Teen Titans exist, etc...).

When Diana returned to the embassy after her lunch meeting, her assistant handed her a message.

“Ambassador? There was a call for you, but he didn’t leave a name...” The young woman handed over a slip of paper, although she looked a bit nervous that she didn’t have more details to add.

Diana glanced down at the note: **Call me. No emergency**. She smiled. “It’s fine, Claire. I’ll take care of it, thank you.”

She continued to her office, still smiling, though she knew it might not be good news. _Arrogant_ , she thought fondly. _Frustrating, arrogant, brilliant man._ Maybe he was free for dinner, that would be a nice change. She called on the secure line.

“Hello, Diana.” Bruce never asked who was calling on this line. His voice wasn’t warm and flirtatious, though, just calm and slightly distracted. _Business, then. Maybe next time._

“Hello to you too. What do you need?” she said, then bit her tongue as her own innuendo registered.

There was a pause, and she pictured Bruce’s smirk. “Many things, Princess, but at the moment, a favor, if you’re not busy.”

“Nothing in my schedule I can’t shift if I have to.” She and Bruce had danced around their mutual flirtation until a month ago, when a particularly intense after-mission conversation had moved first to coffee at Wayne Manor and then...other, more physical pursuits. Then again, a week later, and several additional encounters after that. Still, the situation was still new enough that Diana wasn’t sure where they were headed.

She enjoyed his company, enjoyed the chase, and she had very much enjoyed deepening their relationship. By this time she wasn't exactly surprised at his... dedication and focus in intense situations, but she definitely appreciated it on another level. Diana wondered, though, what he expected now. He’d neither asked for nor suggested any formal commitment, not yet anyway.

“Could you visit Superman? He’s at the Fortress.”

“Why? I mean, I can, but...”

“J’onn called me, Superman switched out monitor duty at the last minute, sounding very upset, but wouldn’t talk to him about it. I think he’ll talk to you. Check the gossip news before you go and you’ll see why.”

She started to open a celebrity news page on her computer, not a site she frequented. She heard horns and water behind Bruce’s voice. _He must be by the ocean._

He went on: “I’ll join you when I can, but I can’t leave this-”

She spoke up, “I’ll see you later then. Kick the bastards twice from me.”

He snorted a brief laugh into the comm line, “Will do,” then cut the connection.

Diana skimmed through the latest entertainment news, then spotted what Bruce had been referring to. “Oh, Kal,” she murmured aloud.

The writing had been on the wall for a long time, she knew that. He’d known that, too. _Right?_ Diana winced as she gathered her things. She hoped Kal didn’t remember the conversation they’d had, when was it, nearly a year ago, she’d _said_ he needed to tell Lois everything, stop trying to protect her if he didn’t want to lose her. And now... _Don’t say I told you so_ , she thought to herself, as she set her jet toward the Arctic.

Was it better or worse that Lois looked happy? Despite the gossip reporter’s snark about “Superman’s former girlfriend” and her splashy engagement to a famous actor/philanthropist, Lois’s good sense and real affection for her beau had come through in the article.

Would Kal be able to be happy for her, eventually? Diana rather thought so, although it would probably take time.

She radioed the Fortress as she approached, and received only silence, although the hangar doors opened for her. She glided into the wing where the living areas were. “Kal?”

“In here.” He was in civilian clothing, but without his glasses, on a couch in the main sitting room, staring at nothing. “Did J’onn send you?” His voice was caught between resigned and resentful.

“No.”

He looked up at her, eyes narrowed. She smiled gently, explaining, “Well, J’onn called Bruce and Bruce called me.”

“So nice to hear everyone knows.”

“It’s not-” she stopped herself and went to sit on the other end of the couch. “We care about you, Kal. I just wanted to come see if you were okay.”

“Well, I am.”

_Definitely sulky now._ “Okay. Would you mind if I just sit here with you for a while anyway?”

He seemed to deflate a little. “No, that’d be alright.”

They sat in silence for a time, and Diana just breathed easily and resolved herself to being patient.

........................................

By Diana’s internal clock it had been about fifteen minutes, and she’d just begun to wonder if it would be rude to get up and find a book when Kal spoke. “It’s not, you know...I’m not angry. I know she’s happy. They’re both so _happy_.” Diana wasn’t sure she’d ever heard the word ‘happy’ carry so much pain. “I always thought, I guess, that there’d finally be the right time, the perfect time, for everything to be clear, for _us_ to be happy together. And by the time I saw what it would take to make that happen, the time was lost, and I... I couldn’t make her wait for my fantasy.”

Diana reached over and placed her hand on Kal’s shoulder, and he leaned into her. “I’m so sorry, Kal,” she said.

“I know I have no claim on her, haven’t for a long time now. I knew that this was coming. I knew they were together, Lois has been practically floating through the newsroom for months, so I don’t know why...”

She stroked his back soothingly, and he turned further into her half-embrace. “I imagine you knew,” she pressed her free hand gently to his forehead, “but that can be different than it seeming real,” she pressed the hand to his heart.

“Yeah,” he sighed. Kal was warm in her arms, and she held him gently. She smiled where he couldn’t see. _I think he’ll be okay._ He just needed a friend and some physical comfort. _Some distraction might be good as well,_ she thought. Maybe they could spar, or she could ask him about a recent mission, something that wouldn’t lead back to Metropolis and Lois.

He squeezed her a little tighter, and she hugged him more firmly. It was a relief, to not have to hold back with Kal, whether they were grappling or embracing. She smiled again at the thought. She wouldn’t presume, of course, but there was a part of her that thought how splendid it might be to take him to bed. It was a shame that almost no traditions of physical love between comrades had endured among the people here, unlike on Themyscira.  

_Almost no traditions._ She tipped his face up to hers with one slender hand, kissed one cheek, then the other, then gently pressed her lips to his. She held for a heartbeat, then two, but he didn’t pull away. He held very, very still, and she began to pull back, but he followed, now kissing her in return. She parted her lips and tasted his breath on her tongue. Her hands ran gently along his thighs, and he held her shoulders, almost dipping her back over the couch. Then all at once, he pulled his arms away and drew back.

She couldn’t help it, she smiled, because he looked so flummoxed. “Are you alright?”

He pulled further away from her quickly. “I’m so sorry, Diana, you came here out of kindness, and I was just reacting, because you are...” he very obviously closed his lips on some further observation and looked away.

“Kal, it’s okay.” She reached out to lay a gentle hand - safely back on his shoulder this time.

He stood abruptly. “Thank you for coming, Princess, but I would like to be alone.”

“Wait, why are you upset?” But Superman had already sped to a deeper room, closing the doors to that section behind him.

Diana blew out a frustrated breath. “Damn all men, anyhow.”

........................................

Bruce found her waiting in that same room an hour and a half later, shoving his cowl back as he entered, carrying several bags that looked suspiciously like take-out food. Diana had taken off her boots and thrown on some comfortable loose pants over her uniform by that point, having prudently brought a few things in case this ended up being an extended stay. The Fortress wasn’t cold, but the psychological effect of all that white got to even her after a while. She tried to explain to Bruce what had happened.

At some point near the end of her account Bruce started looking a little pink around the edges, but Diana wasn’t sure if he was upset that she’d kissed Superman or slightly embarrassed by the straightforward way she described the experience. _Honestly, men are fascinating, yet so hard to understand!_

Eventually, she ran down in frustration, ending with “...and I called out for a while, but he isn’t answering. I wanted to explain that I believe physical affection can be a balm among shieldbonded comrades, but I know sex isn’t what he needs right now... What? Are you laughing at me?”

He shook his head and chuckled ruefully, reaching out to capture her hands with his. “No, Diana, never at you.” He turned her hands to press a knightly kiss on the back of each one, and she smiled despite herself. “Only at myself, and a little at our provincial friend. He has probably decided that you pity him, and is off sulking about it.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Shieldbond?”

“I adore you in many ways, Bruce, I just hadn’t spoken of that one, but...” She would not be embarrassed by this. _Men are just as good partners,_ she told the imaginary image of her disapproving mother. _Especially these men._ “Some on Themyscira hold to the tradition that with your chosen comrades, it is... soul-fulfilling to share everything.”

“I surmised something of the sort,” he murmured. He smiled at her then, a surprisingly warm flash of mixed comradeship and passion that seemed to stop her heart. “Okay,” he said. He took a breath and released her hands. “For now, let’s deal with the stubborn Kryptonian.” He moved to an intercom panel by the door to the inner chambers. “Clark? I know you’re there. Come out.”

“Bruce? Take Diana home.”

“No. I brought dinner, and you’re going to have some. If you don’t come out soon, Diana will have to suffer through cold pasta.”

There was a soft amused sound over the connection. “....... Fine. I’ll meet you in the dining room.”

“You’d better.” Bruce turned back to Diana and paused. “You amaze me, you know. Please allow me to apologize now for any time I have ever underestimated you.”

She didn’t know what to say to that, but he didn’t seem to be waiting for a response. He stepped smoothly past her to reclaim the package that he had set down on the way in. He chuckled again as he swept out towards the dining room, leaving an amused Diana to follow behind.


	2. Bruce

Dinner at the Fortress was stilted at first, but by the time Bruce and Diana left, Clark seemed calm, if still melancholy. The next night, Diana stayed over at Wayne Manor, and late in the evening they fell into bed and later still into conversation.

“I've been thinking about what you said,” Bruce began softly, tracing his fingertips lightly across her collarbone.

“A promising beginning.”

“Ha. I mean about, what was the word, shieldbond. Could you tell me more about it?”

“It's hard to explain to those raised outside of the Island.”

“Especially to men?” Diana gave him an affectionate look at his self-deprecating tone, and Bruce gave himself a tiny moment to bask in it. “Really, Diana, I want to understand. I know many cultures have held that physical relations between comrades-in-arms are a normal reaction to stress and violence, and...” Bruce prudently closed his mouth when Diana narrowed her eyes.

“Not stress relief. The shieldbond is part of battle, yes, but it is a way to connect to those you fight alongside, a way to celebrate joy and victory, or just to make life brighter. It's not just sex, we both have a similar bond to the entire League, to the young people we've trained, and to a lesser degree with everyone who fights for the side of light and life.” She smiled then, and added, “The sexual bond is one way to express a deeper connection with one's closest companions.”

He leaned over to kiss her, then spoke again, gently teasing. “Companions? How many are we talking about?”

“I know that here most romantic relationships are pair-bonds, but each situation is different, and there are as many ways to celebrate shieldbond as there are warriors,” Diana said primly.

Bruce turned the dim bedside lamp out and wound his arms around her. “Sounds sensible.”

Diana stiffened suddenly. “This isn't about Catwoman, is it?”

“No! I mean... it isn't about anybody.”

They lay in dark and silence for a few moments. “Are you upset about me kissing Kal?”

“No. With anyone but you, I feel like I would be, but... you're you. And Clark's... Clark.” He shifted and reached to hold her hand, finally speaking softly into her hair. “I don’t think either of you is capable of being... faithless, to anyone.”

“I thought you would understand.” She turned to lie on her side and pressed her back into his chest. “You’re the same, after all.” He twitched slightly in surprise, then relaxed again. He didn’t speak again before they slept.

........................................

Bruce brooded on the conversation the next day, as he waited alone in a conference room on the Watchtower.

Why _didn't_ it bother him more? He mentally scoffed at the idea that he was somehow beyond jealousy, but the other option seemed to be that he didn't care enough about Diana to be bothered, and he recoiled from that idea as well.

He checked the time. Still probably ten minutes before anyone else would show up for this meeting. _So, run some scenarios._

_1: Diana in a relationship with someone else._  
He calmly built the picture in his mind. It hurt more than he'd anticipated, but he didn't feel angry with her. The perfect guy he'd conjured for her...that was irritating, but he was surprised to realize that his first reaction was a sort of bittersweet resignation.

_Oof. That doesn't exactly say good things about your faith in this relationship_ , he admonished himself.

He checked the time again. _Okay, a little more direct._

_2: Diana having sex with someone else._  
This time he chose a real person neither of them knew, a popular movie star, and resolutely imagined them together.

He imagined them kissing, his hands in her hair, her head thrown back as he moved to kiss her breasts, she grips his shoulders hard enough to bruise, he smiles up at her, she looks down with that unlikely mix of serenity and passion that says only _Diana_ as she guides them steadily together...

Bruce noted his elevated pulse and breathing. No real surprise, picturing sex, even from the outside, was arousing for most people.

He straightened his notes and steadied his heart rate just in time as others began to filter into the room. It was planned to be a strategy meeting regarding responses to deep space incursions. Bruce nodded politely to Blue Beetle and J'onn. Jon, Guy, and Kyle were all on hand, escorting Tomar Re as a special guest. Superman came in then, speaking casually with Starfire, another special advisor for this session. As they stepped into the room, Starfire laughed brightly and whispered something to Clark, making him smile.

Something in the vicinity of Bruce’s stomach gave an ugly lurch. _What the...?_ He looked down at the table and reread the Javelin specs he knew by heart. When Bruce looked up, Clark was at his elbow, but made no motion to call the meeting to order. Starfire was teasing Kyle at the other end of the room.

"What did you two find to talk about?" Bruce was pleased with how dry and bland he sounded.

Clark smiled slightly and spoke very quietly. "You, actually. I think I convinced her that Nightwing wouldn't thank her for interfering in your relationship."

"Hmph." _Stupid paranoid bat. Clark wouldn't get involved with someone as young as Kory or hurt Dick, even on the rebound._

Clark shrugged and went on, "Starfire means well, but I know she sometimes has trouble understanding emotions that aren't expressed broadly." Bruce shrugged. Clark lowered his voice to almost subvocal. "Thanks, by the way. For dinner."

"It's fine. Thank you for speaking with Koriand'r."

Clark just clapped him lightly on the shoulder and called the room to attention.

........................................

The meeting went well, they finished up by sketching out some drills to get deep-space flyers coordinating with pilots and set up a time to touch on the subject again. Bruce watched Clark speaking with the Lanterns under cover of making a few last notes. He looked better than he had the other night, but still somewhat wan and tired.

Then the others went off toward the commissary, they were alone, and Clark’s face... shifted. By the time Bruce fully focused on him it was gone, but for an instant he’d looked simply devastated. Bruce was on his feet, reaching for the other man before he realized it. “Clark? Are you okay?”

“Sure, I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

_That wasn’t tired. That was... I’m not sure. Depression? World-Weariness? Utter Loneliness?_ Now that he was looking for it, Bruce could see the echoes of that exhausted expression in Clark’s eyes behind the forced cheerfulness.

But all Bruce said was, “Okay.” He looked down and collected his notes. “You know that Diana and I-”

Clark gasped and Bruce looked back up. Now his expression was obvious: panic. Clark’s words tumbled out, “Oh god, Bruce, I am so sorry that happened, you have to know that I-”

Bruce cut him off. “What in hell are you-” _The damn kiss._ “It’s fine. Clark. It’s fine. We are all fine. I was going to say that we’d be happy to have dinner again sometime, if you want company.”

“Oh.” Clark still looked a little skittish, but nodded. “Sure, sometime. If you want to.”

Bruce nodded, and Clark retreated from the room. Bruce was alone again. Well, Clark certainly thought he could have been upset. Over a kiss? _Maybe a certain boy scout’s been having impure thoughts about our amazon._

Well, no one was scheduled to be in here for hours, but Bruce engaged a lock on the door anyway. No time like the present.

_3: Diana with Clark_  
The mental image of them together made his pulse race and his hands clench on the edge of the table. The two of them, gorgeous, incandescent, practically made for each other, and sharing in that, even in the reflected light of that... He paused at that thought and took a deep breath. _Don’t back down now, work it through to the end._

_4: Clark with...some other woman_  
That made him grind his teeth a little. Some mundane woman who would resent sharing him with the world, or even another big-hearted person like Lois, how could she fully understand him?

_4a:..with another hero_  
He pictured Clark getting together with Fire, and while it was an amusing image, he couldn’t see it being meaningful. He mentally flipped through the roster of known heroes, but none of them were good enough for Clark, and the idea of any of them getting to have him... _Huh. Well. There’s that missing jealousy._ It burned surprisingly deep, a knee-jerk protective instinct blended with something dark and possessive.

Bruce paced back and forth a few times, then sat down stiffly, hands folded on the table.

_5: Diana and Clark...with..._  
_Oh god._ He had trouble even framing the words, but the images were easy. Reaching out to touch, while Clark and Diana shook the room with their lovemaking. Kissing Diana, but feeling warm hands too big to be hers on his shoulders, his back, his hips. Running his hands through Clark's hair, kissing him, seeing that mischievous little smile that he saved for the few who really knew him. Seeing lust and ecstasy in his eyes. Taking, being taken, suspended between pleasure and oblivion by the only two people...

He gave himself a mental shake. _Well, it answers one question anyway. And raises quite a few others._

_Feasibility first before ridiculous fantasies turn my brain upside down._

He tapped out a text communication to Gotham, and sent a silent apology mentally after it.

In a few minutes, he received a reply.

**Does it say something about you or me that I’m hoping this is about your love life and not some weird contingency plan? Don’t worry, I don’t actually want to know.**

Bruce got up and paced the room again, still calming his breathing. A few more minutes went by.

**Okay, assuming this is about your love life, you’ve got a solid maybe. Kory asked for some nice sound bites to pass on to LGBT kids the Titans come into contact with and says he was very supportive and sweet. She then slipped in a personal question, and reports that he looked thoughtful and said that he wouldn’t rule out being a bit bi, but not to spread it around.**

Bruce wrote back. **Thank Starfire for the intel, Nightwing.**

**Yeah, not going to happen. I told her I was curious on behalf of young people everywhere, I’m leaving you out of this. Just please don’t sleep with Superman when I’m home, okay?**

Is that was he was really thinking of doing? _Am I totally insane?_

........................................

Bruce pushed the matter to the back of his mind for a whole month. He tracked down a plot by Scarecrow to lace candy with fear toxin and sent Crane back to Arkham. He took Diana discreetly out to dinner and to the opera. They made love, and it was just as satisfying and wonderful as it had been before his inconvenient personal realizations. When he ran across Clark, he was no friendlier than normal, and while Bruce inquired after his health, he didn’t push. He helped Clark, Kara, and Wally fight Metallo, and though he thought over the day multiple times later, he was pretty sure his newly discovered lust for his friend wasn’t affecting his work.

After four weeks were over (possibly to the minute) he let himself imagine it again. The burning desire was undiminished, almost crippling. He called Diana and invited her over.

........................................

Diana arrived after his patrol, touching down on the balcony so late it was almost morning, bearing a small box. “Care for something sweet? I brought some of that great baklava from the place near the embassy.”

Bruce had showered and dressed in a robe and sleep pants, and was waiting in one of the armchairs in his bedroom. He rose as she entered. “I actually thought we might have a nightcap, and this” - he indicated a bottle of wine open on a side table - “should go nicely.”

Wine and dessert were quickly portioned out, and just as quickly half-forgotten. Diana kissed like she did everything, with her full focus and her full heart. Bruce was usually thinking about several different things no matter what was happening, but it was somehow easy to let himself get swept up in her. He was cataloging the mingled sweetness and tart between their tongues when he came back to himself long enough to pull away.

“I need to, I want to talk about something. About us. I...” He trailed off and took a sip of wine. Diana didn’t say anything. He glanced at her, but she just looked expectant and concerned. “I... this is difficult.” He paced several steps back and forth. “Have you seen Clark lately?”

Diana blinked once at the apparent change of subject. “Yes, and I’m concerned. The immediate pain has left him, but he still... it’s hard to describe.”

“He looks...lonely.” _He looks like he’s dying a little every day._ “This whole thing has shaken something fundamental in him, and I... We can’t just...” He paused and looked at his hands, taking a slow breath. “You implied, once, that if it were what he needed, you...” Bruce scowled at himself and tried again. “I wanted you to know that I...”

Diana stepped up to Bruce and laid a hand on his cheek. She looked thoughtful, and he couldn’t seem to find any more words. “Bruce, are you giving me permission to have sex with him?”

He had to pause a moment to control his voice when she put it like that. “I’m not sure. I mean, you don’t need permission, but...”

“But while I can choose my actions, I would not wish to choose one that would hurt you.” She pulled him into a firm hug. “I’m worried about him, too, Bruce.” She sighed. “While I do trust you to know your own mind, I have to ask whether you’ve really examined how you would feel about Kal and I together. I don’t want to lose you.”

Bruce felt like melting into her strong shoulder at her last words, but settled for holding her tightly. Tightly and carefully, because if she shifted her leg one inch, she’d notice exactly how he felt about her and Clark together. _Do I want him enough to risk losing her to him? Humans can’t have everything they want, why can’t I let this one go?_ He took two careful breaths and focused on the emotion behind the surging lust. He let his body’s responses continue on the edge of his mind while he took a moment to center himself. _I’ve wanted people before and moved on because it wasn’t right. This fantasy... it wouldn’t be like my imagination. What happens after the sex, if there is sex? Why would I imagine this could ever work? That if we could make it work..._ And everything snapped together inside him, like a keystone shifting finally into the right place and then suddenly the structure is stable. 

He stepped back and held her at arm's length. “I love you, Diana,” he said simply. “I love you with everything I am. And I love Clark, too. I want to help him.”

Her smile was like the dawn, full of hope and wonder. “I love you, Bruce. And I love Clark as well.”

He blew out his breath wryly. “Also, I want him.”

Diana’s expression shifted to be a touch wicked. “I know.”

“You could have told me.”

“Where would the fun be in that?” She paused. “We should meet for dinner again, and see how it goes. I think it could work. The three of us, I mean.”

Bruce slid his arm around the small of her back. “I hope so.” He leaned into her and breathed in the scent of her skin. “I don’t want to lose you either. Or Clark’s friendship.”

“I have faith in us.”

“At least someone does.”


	3. Clark

Clark woke at dawn from muddled dreams and quickly got ready for the day. He caught himself shying away from the mirror again and took a moment to just stand and look. He smiled, then grimaced at how fake it seemed. Between the Planet and the League, he’d managed to be busy every day for more than a month, but both Perry and J’onn were separately breathing down his neck to take some downtime. One more day in the newsroom, and then he had a week off, and J’onn had told him to take at least two days before reporting for so much as monitor duty, barring emergencies.

_Great. Free time. What the heck am I supposed to do with it?_ He supposed he could go to the Fortress and run that spectroanalysis on the most recent xenobiology samples. _Ha. I sound like Bruce, still working no matter what. Maybe Bruce would like to see the spectroanalysis._ He could call, and... He pulled his hand away from his communicator for the fifth time that week. He tried to never be the person who burdened his friends with his problems.

On the way to work he stopped a purse-snatching and rescued five people from a fire, so he ended up walking in on time, instead of early. He made a point of interacting with each of his co-workers. He had since that day when Jimmy asked if something had happened to his parents, and he realized how withdrawn he’d become. There was no reason for it. He had friends, co-workers, a good life - _two_ good lives - which each made a difference.

There was no reason at all to feel lonely.

He took a long lunch to foil a bank robbery and he was finishing up his last column in the late afternoon when his League communicator chirped. He ducked out of the still-busy newsroom to an empty conference room.

“Yes.”

“It’s me.” Bruce’s voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“What? Nothing.”

“Then why are you calling?”

“I was wondering if that dinner invitation was still open.”

_Invitation?_ “Uh, sure.”

“Are you going to the Fortress tonight? I know you have a few days off.”

_Of course you do._ “Yes, I planned to.”

“Good. We’ll bring food. Diana and I will be there at nine, Gotham time.” The connection broke.

It would be nice to have company, even if the addition of Diana complicated things. Clark cared deeply for her, of course, but he’d been dwelling on that one kiss, the feeling of her hands on him, a little more than he thought healthy or wise. He considered calling Bruce back to cancel. Maybe he’d be better off alone with his thoughts. _No. You can have dinner with your friends like an adult without doing anything idiotic._ And it would be nice to see them for something other than a battle or a strategy session. He smiled a little as he hurried through the end of his article.

........................................

True to his word, Bruce brought dinner, including wine, dessert, coffee, and most of the necessary serving utensils, plates, etc., as though Clark were incapable of stocking a kitchen. When Clark mentioned that he did, in fact, have a coffee maker, Bruce just gave him a skeptical look and continued unpacking some glass and steel device.

The food, of course, was delightful, and the wine enjoyable even without the effects of alcohol, Clark reflected. Although it was actual wine. Bruce didn’t often drink that he knew of, and while he wasn’t overindulging, Clark was curious why it was part of the spread.

They chatted mostly about their mundane lives, interspersed with a little harmless gossip about their more super colleagues. Clark felt a tension he hadn’t known he was carrying melt away over the meal. Bruce was wearing casual clothes, playing neither the dark avenger nor the flippant playboy, just being himself, quietly, almost secretly warm, incisive and intelligent in his speech, prickly and stubborn when he disagreed, but always that underlying solid warmth. Clark felt it whenever Bruce reached over to place a hand on his arm or his shoulder to emphasize a point. Diana, too, was in casual clothing, and her frequent amusement at the two men’s expense was always balanced by the steady tenderness in her eyes.

Clark felt a wave of affection for them. “I want to thank you. You’re both so important to me. I haven’t been the easiest person to be around lately, but you remind me that I... I’m not alone.” He took a deep breath. “I just wanted you to know that I appreciate it.”

Diana smiled. “Kal-” she glanced at Bruce, “-we love you, and we will always be here for you.”

Clark swallowed. “Thank you.” Bruce seemed to be struggling with words, he placed a hand over Clark’s on the table. He squeezed briefly, and took another sip of wine.

“So,” Bruce said, voice rough, “Does anyone want dessert?”

Diana caught his eyes. “It’s up to you, Bruce.”

He took a slow breath and turned to look at Clark, searching his face for something. “I think dessert can wait a while.” Diana rose to step behind Bruce’s chair. He stood and motioned for Clark to stand as well. “Clark,” he began in a low tone, “We will always be here for you, and we know you would do the same.” He licked his lips once. “However, Diana and I have recently realized that...that we want to be more to each other. The three of us.”

Clark froze. _I have no idea what Bruce means, but it clearly meant a lot to say it..._ He looked to Diana for a clue, and she just regarded him with a smile and a raised eyebrow. “We don't want to push you into anything, Kal. I think it’s worth at least a try, though. Are you interested?”

Bruce was just standing utterly still, as though Clark’s answer was momentarily the pivot of the world.

Clark said the only thing he knew was true. “I trust you.”

Diana grinned, and Bruce nodded. Clark was faintly surprised he wasn’t thrown physically back by the sudden intensity in Bruce's gaze. Bruce reached out and grasped Clark’s arm lightly, then more firmly. “Okay,” he said, low and calm. He reached his other hand back for Diana, who came up to Clark’s other side. “Ladies first,” he murmured.

She gave him a sidelong glance, then turned back to Clark, reaching out her hands to frame his face. And then, before Clark could react, they were kissing again, and it was...indescribable. Clark realized that the other kiss had only been a friendly peck, compared to when Diana kissed with _intent_. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled them together tightly. Diana ground her hips into his, and he was abruptly, painfully hard. He ran his hands down her back to her ass and pressed her firmly to him. She moaned into the unbroken kiss.

Clark finally opened his eyes and looked past Diana, but Bruce was just watching, his lips parted and his eyes wide. “Is.. are you.. I don’t,” Clark managed, panting.

Diana kissed his throat. “Are you alright?” She pulled back slightly. “Clark? Is this okay? Do you want this?”

He tried to scrape together enough brain cells to reply. “Yes, I mean, I want you, but...” he looked up at Bruce again.

Bruce leaned into his ear, almost touching it with his lips. “Just relax, Clark. We trust you.”

Clark took a shuddering breath and looked squarely at Diana. “Are you sure?”

“I want to have sex with you, Kal.” She grinned. “Do you want me to be clearer?”

“No, that’s fine.” Letting go of the rest of his questions, he lost himself in her kisses again, in the feel of her body against his. He was dimly aware that Bruce had steered them gently down the hall into his bedroom. Diana removed her clothing at high speed and was abruptly standing before him, every inch a goddess. He laughed and flung his own clothing away at equal speed.

He wanted to cover every inch of her with kisses, but contented himself with running his hands along her golden skin. His hands came to rest on her breasts and she gasped as he gently, and then less gently, grasped her breasts, then her nipples. She ran her hands up the backs of his thighs and danced her fingers over his ass and up his lower back. She pulled him close, and he felt the brush of her pubic hair and inhaled sharply. She laughed and gave him a shove. He flew down across the bed.

She was almost as strong as he was. Suddenly Clark saw the glint in her eye and felt his own eyes spark in return. He came halfway up from the bed when she pounced, straddling him. They grappled briefly, rolling together, hands playfully chasing reactions. Clark was briefly on top, and then he wasn’t. They were both breathing quickly, but not actually winded.

Diana moved her hand to grasp him firmly and smiled. “Are you ready?” He nodded, and she slowly guided them together.

She was so warm, so wet, so perfect. “Oh god,” he breathed helplessly. And then she shifted her hips, and Clark’s hands shot up to hold her steady for a moment so he could recover.

She leaned down and kissed him, biting gently at his lower lip. “Okay?”

“Oh yes. I.. _Diana_.”

She shifted again, and this time his hips moved to meet hers, and then they began to find a rhythm. He gripped her hips tightly and pulled them together, and she threw her head back and he leaned up to kiss her breasts. She pushed against the bed, and then against the air, and they were hovering together, bracing themselves against nothing but gravity and light and air to gain purchase, to become more deeply entwined.

Clark’s vision began to strobe; he saw in flashes: Diana’s eyes, her hair, the curve of her hip, the ceiling, close enough to touch, her teeth, bared in a half-feral grin. They turned in midair, and for a fraction of an instant he saw Bruce, sitting on the floor against the wall, face upturned, eyes huge and dark as his hair. As Diana’s hair, as they crashed to the bed together, and then all he could see were the stars in her eyes, all he could hear was his pulse and hers, racing together, faster and faster, until he clutched her close, helpless against the reality of her body, and spent himself into her.

Diana breathed out a long satisfied sigh, and kissed him softly, then she gently disentangled them.

Clark blinked, trying to pull his scattered thoughts together. Diana shifted to press another kiss to his shoulder, then rose from the bed. As she stood, Bruce was revealed, now sitting on the far side of the mattress. He had lost his shirt and socks at some point, but still wore his slacks and an inscrutable expression. Diana exchanged a glance with him and reached out to caress his cheek as she passed.

Bruce watched Diana leave the room and didn't turn back to Clark. Clark couldn't think of a thing to say. He wasn't one hundred percent sure what had just happened, at least what it meant to the delicate relationship between his two friends, and his thinking felt sluggish. The echo of running water from a nearby bathroom broke the silence.

“Bruce,” he finally said, “I...”

“If you apologize to me, you insult both Diana and I.” Bruce broke in with a matter-of-fact tone. “If you apologize to her, you insult her, and yourself, I suppose.”

Clark swallowed his reflexive apology, and finally admitted quietly, “I don't know what to say. Are you...” he reached for a word to encompass his worry and compassion for Bruce that wouldn't imply Diana couldn't be with whomever she wished. He failed. “...okay?”

Bruce just shot him a look and snorted softly. “What a question, Clark,” he murmured. Now that his face was toward Clark, he could see color high on Bruce’s cheeks, and while he was trying to hide it, he was breathing heavily, nearly panting. “Are you asking am I okay watching my lover have sex with my friend?” Clark started to stammer something, but trailed off into a silent blush at the self-satisfied little smirk growing on Bruce's face. “Yes, Clark, I'm 'okay'. Or were you wondering whether I'm okay sitting here on your bed while you're lying there naked, or if I'd rather be someplace else?”

Clark had to look away then and resisted the urge to pull the sheets up with some difficulty. Was this all some sort of foreplay between Bruce and Diana? Did Bruce get off watching her? He didn't think Diana could be false with her affections, but the idea of being manipulated by Bruce like that... Well, that idea wasn't as unpleasant as Clark rather thought it should be, but it was uncomfortable.

“Sorry, Clark,” Bruce's voice shaded back to slightly rueful, but Clark kept his gaze on the floor, noting some scattered bits of clothing there. “I really am okay, so long as you...” Clark felt the bed shift.

Diana reappeared in the doorway, wearing nothing but a smile and carrying Bruce's duffel, earlier abandoned in the outer rooms, lightly over one shoulder. Her eyebrows raised at the sight of the two of them. “Oh, Bruce,” she said with a quiet laugh.

Clark looked at Bruce, who was glancing away from Diana's regard. “It's alright,” she went on, tossing the duffel to the floor, “You know it will be.”

“Di,” Bruce got out, his voice strangled and caught in his throat, “I don't know... I thought, but...”

Diana smiled and gently pushed Bruce further onto the mattress. Clark had a moment to be glad he'd sprung for a generously sized mattress as Bruce scooted over next to him. Diana sat down on Bruce's other side and leaned in to kiss him.

Clark felt like he should look away, but he just leaned back against the headboard and watched them embrace, watched Bruce's sudden frantic passion slow into lingering kisses as Diana's hands roamed steadily over his sides, his back, grasping his waist firmly. Even seated, it was like watching a dance, these two creatures of grace, and Clark was taken with the sight. They broke apart, breathing heavily, and just leaned into each other for a moment. Clark was suddenly aware of himself again and started to shift off the bed, trying to give them space. Diana's gaze flashed up to him over Bruce's shoulder, though, and pinned him in place. “Do you want Clark to go, Bruce?” she said quietly.

Bruce froze, then twisted back to lay a hand on Clark's arm without looking at him. Clark felt the tremors in Bruce's hand, and reflexively placed his own hand over Bruce's. It was unsettling to see Bruce so uneasy, and at this point Clark just wanted to reassure him. It seemed to be the right thing, because Bruce's grip firmed, and he turned fully to face Clark.

Bruce's hair was mussed, his face flushed, and his eyes roamed restlessly over Clark's face. Clark was taken aback by how beautiful he was. Some of that much have shown in Clark's expression because Bruce abruptly leaned in to kiss him. Clark's surprise gave way just as suddenly to pleasure; Bruce was clearly employing every bit of his considerable technique to make sure that every inch of Clark's mouth and lips was delightfully tantalized and caressed. Bruce finally leaned back, smiling lightly at Clark's reflexive move to follow.

Bruce moved a hand to gently cup his cheek. “Are you...okay?” He smiled, but his eyes were still uneasy and searching.

Clark glanced past him to Diana, but she was just smiling, quiet and satisfied as a Sphinx. No hint from that quarter, then. “Bruce...” Clark finally managed, “that was...” _Amazing? Surprising? Wonderful?_ “I...” _want you? love you? don't understand?_ He could feel his mouth working, but nothing he thought of seemed right.

But then Bruce dropped his hand, looked away, took a breath, and said briskly, “Okay, then.”

Clark didn't need the quick glare from Diana to realize how badly Bruce had misinterpreted his struggle for words. Abandoning the fruitless search for language, he pulled Bruce back into another kiss. He felt more than heard Bruce's gasp, and Clark tried to pour his conflicted passion into his hands and his lips and smiled when Bruce picked up his pace to match.

On the edge of his awareness, he realized that Diana was lightly skimming her hands over them, first across Bruce's back, then over him to Clark's own hips. Clark also realized that Bruce was still wearing his pants, which was clearly going to be a problem. He reached down and fumbled the fly open, and ran his fingers over the soft skin over Bruce's hipbones, pausing to trace the sharp ridge of a scar on one side.

Diana's hand closed over his and pressed up firmly. Clark blinked in surprise, then lifted Bruce slightly with one hand under his hip. Diana tugged off Bruce's pants, and then they were pressed together all along their bodies.

Bruce clutched him hard at shoulder and hip, kissing and biting at his neck. Clark pushed him back just far enough to get a hand around the other man's straining erection. Bruce's head snapped back like he'd been struck by lightning, and Clark licked his exposed neck in sudden inspiration. Bruce's breath whooshed out in a word that wasn't quite "God" and wasn't quite "Clark" and ended in a sort of low moan.

Clark felt torn between adoration and lust at how vulnerable Bruce looked in that moment, with a side of satisfaction that Bruce was too far gone to be suave about their situation. He caught sight of Diana's eyes over Bruce's shoulder, and she reached over to stroke his neck. Bruce gasped in another breath, flung one hand back across Diana's thigh and managed to get the other around Clark to drag him back in for another kiss.

Time slowed for Clark, as though he were moving at super-speed. He felt deeply connected in a way that went beyond the pleasure of the moment. He thought about the meal and conversation they'd shared earlier. What had Bruce said? _We want to be more._ Clark thought he understood that now, and he was overwhelmed with desire to have that, to have them, not just tonight, but for always.

Coming back to himself, he moved his hand, stroking first slowly and then steadily increasing, watching Bruce's every microexpression with sudden determination. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes, but it seemed a frozen eternity in which he relished every moment before Bruce was shuddering and bucking helplessly into his hand, against his body.

Clark gathered the other man close as his breathing slowed, and Diana, bless her, sensibly grabbed some tissues off the bedside table and helped them both clean up.

Bruce finally rubbed his face roughly. "I didn't mean to- to lose control like that."

Clark just shook his head, saying, "You were wonderful. Are wonderful." _I can't bear it. I have to know._ "There's only one question." Diana looked expectant, but he paused until Bruce looked up as well. "If this was only, only this, then, thank you. But I hope..." Diana was smiling, and Bruce looked relieved.

"I want to try this, the three of us together," Diana said. "I think we balance each other well and this liaison could last."

"Perfectly," Bruce put in, then looked down at his hands. "We could balance perfectly, I think."

Clark nodded, then put a hand gently on Bruce's shoulder. "Just remember to talk to me, okay? I almost misunderstood you and spoiled it before we got started."

Bruce shot him a heated look and a half-smile. "No promises." He leaned into Clark, and as if by unspoken agreement, they all three lay down. Clark pulled up the sheets over them and doused the dim lights. In the darkness, Bruce spoke again. "I want this to work. But if it doesn't, at least we had this. This was..." Clark felt Bruce grasp his hand, and from his shift, assumed he had Diana's as well. "Thank you."

Diana snuggled up to Bruce, pressing him into Clark's chest. "Stop borrowing tomorrow's trouble, love."

Clark felt Bruce relaxing and smiled. "Yeah," Clark said, reaching out to embrace them both as best he could. "Besides, I have a whole week off." A sudden flash of imagination proposed several morning activities that wouldn't require getting dressed, and Clark felt his heart begin to race.

Bruce shifted, and Clark calmed himself. Plenty of time for that tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that.


End file.
